Begin Again
by piper maru duchovny
Summary: Nine words changed everything... [Jo/Mac]


**It's been awhile. Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not claim to own anything in this fic nor do I seek to gain any profit. **

* * *

_I've been spending the last eight months_  
_Thinking all love ever does is break or end_  
_But on Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again_  
-Taylor Swift

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"If I asked you out... would you say yes?"

Nine words changed everything.

–

The fact that she wasn't nervous made her nervous; palm pressed flat against her abdomen, she took a deep breath while observing herself in the hall mirror before slipping on her coat and grabbing her keys from under the pile of yesterday's mail. Everything was going to be fine. They were going to meet for a cup of coffee like they always did and maybe he'd hold her hand, if she was feeling extraordinarily brave she might press up onto her tiptoes to brush a kiss over the corner of his mouth just before they went their separate ways. Nothing out of the ordinary except this time he'd used the word date after asking if she'd say yes if he asked her out. _Oh lord._ Her heart fluttered inside her chest just thinking of the smile on his face when she'd told him that she'd love to go on a date with him, the way she had giggled like her teenaged daughter instead of a woman just years shy of senior citizenship. Jo let out a shaky breath as she grabbed her iPod from the table and quickly stepped out of the townhouse, slamming the door behind her before she could lose her nerve.

Fall had swept into New York City in a rush over the last week. Leaves crunched beneath the heel of her boots and she wished for gloves as she slipped the earbuds into place; quickly, she thumbed on a jazzy country number that she absolutely adored before burrowing her hands deep within the pockets of her leather jacket. She bowed her head to block the wind and cursed her last broken hair tie as the chocolate colored curls whipped across her face. With a quickened pace, she willed the coffeehouse seventeen blocks away to be closer because she was not using the subway for such a short walk but the cold was hellbent on driving her underground. The city was proving to be a wonderful distraction from her fluttering heart however, the cold and the crowded streets taking her mind off the idea that she was on her way to a date with her best friend.

Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, butterflies returning, when she spotted the sign for their beloved coffeehouse just down the street. Her pace quickened to just shy of a jog as she pushed her way through the masses, nearly cheering when her hand wrapped around the glass handle of the door, slipping into the heated building. Exhaling slowly, Jo pulled the earbuds from her ears and turned off her iPod, wrapping the cord around it and slipping the device back into her pocket as she looked around the small cafe for Mac. He stood from the table at the back and waved her over as she ran a hand through her hair and smiled, making her way back to him. "Am I late?"

"Not anymore than usual." He smirked and reached out, pulling her into a warm hug. She sunk into the embrace, letting him chase away the chill of mid October, and relishing in the feeling of his hand trailing over her back before pulling away. "You look beautiful."

She cursed herself for the girlish blush that was most certainly sweeping up her neck to color her cheeks. "Windblown works well for me."

"Jo..." He shook his head with a chuckle and moved around the table, taking her coat for her and helping her into her seat.

"You're far too chivalrous, Mac Taylor." Chilled hands wrapped around the mug of coffee he had already ordered for her, bringing the liquid to her mouth and biting back a moan as her favorite blend hit her taste buds. Any other man would make ordering for her seem presumptuous and annoying but with Mac it merely proved thoughtfulness and the fact that he knew her so damn well. "Reminds me of my daddy, always takin' care of everyone."

Mac's smile lit up his eyes and he merely bowed his head in acknowledgment before taking a sip of his own coffee. "And what is the lovely Ellie up to?"

"I swear I can hardly keep up with that girl." Her smile grew as she remembered how her daughter had been positively giddy over her mother's date. "She had midterms today and was up until after midnight studying for Algebra like it would be the end of the world if she was less than perfect. Tyler's picking her up after school and taking her out for ice cream though... That'll be good for her. He always helps her unwind. Ever the calming influence."

"He's like his mother that way." He raised his cup to her in a halfhearted salute. "Contrary to what your desk would indicate, you're probably the most calm and together person on the team most days."

"Oh I dunno," she drawled with a dry chuckle. "Lindsay can be pretty serene when she wants to be and Adam... Does anything even phase that boy?"

"You've never seen him on a day when the computers are supposed to be updating," Mac supplied with a small grin.

Jo laughed and shook her head. "He is something else, that's for sure. Him and Danny together is somethin' else, I'll tell ya. The other day, I threatened to drag 'em both back to the lab by their ears and make them put their noses in the corner until they could play nice."

And at that Mac did something Jo had never seen him do before, he laughed a laugh that seemed to start at his toes and bubble past his lips. She raised an eyebrow and quirked up the corner of her mouth at the sight.

"I think you're something else, Jo Danville."

"Hush your mouth."

Mac slid his fingers across the rough tabletop and found the tips of hers, twining them together as his eyes grew a shade darker. "I think Claire would have loved you."

"I would love to have known her." She slid her fingers further between his and squeezed gently. For most folks it would have been weird, entirely off-putting to hear him speak about his deceased wife but she knew better. Claire was a part of his life, written deep into his DNA, an inextricable part of what made him Mac Taylor and she wouldn't trade him for anything. "This is my first real date since the divorce."

Her confession seems to make the tension on his shoulders ease and he gave her a look that starts a fire somewhere deep inside her chest. "Then we'll just have to make it worthy of such a title."

They occupy the back corner table in the midtown cafe for nearly three hours and the span of three cups of coffee. She tells him stories about life down south and he regales her with tales of basic training and the practical jokes that he and his fellow marines pulled on each other before they realized how serious their jobs were. Jo shows him pictures of ten year old Tyler holding baby Ellie and Mac presents pictures of Reed and his fiancee, Morgan. He mentions his would-have-been stepson's wedding next fall and she promises to help him with is tie. She tells him about how Ellie has honors convocation at the end of the school year and he makes a mental note to buy her flowers. They both find the words that form the promise: this is for keeps.

"Let me walk you home." His words are soft and she nods when the owner shoots them a look as they wave off the waitress once more. Mac pays the check and Jo tucks into her leather jacket, her eyes trailing him from across the room while she waits by the door. His hand settles at her lower back when he guides her through the doorway and she cants into him as they meandered down the street; it's still cold but somehow Jo finds herself moving slower than usual.

It takes three blocks for Mac to find her hand, tangle their fingers together, as they bump into each other for the tenth time on the crowded sidewalk. It takes seven blocks for Jo to tuck into his side, fingers still twined together but now resting just below her shoulder with his arm slung around her. It takes ten blocks for her to register that none of this is weird, none of it is odd or forced, just the natural progression of events. At block eleven, she realizes that seventeen blocks aren't enough and she wishes they could just spend all day wrapped up in each other and walking around their beloved city. Block twelve brings the realization that space will do them good and that they need time to let this change settle into their lives. Block fifteen brings the sadness back, she can see her home from where they're standing and waiting for the light to change. At block sixteen she contemplates inviting him in for cocoa but then she remembers the realization of block twelve and resigns herself to acting her age about their relationship because it's too important to be reckless with.

Then they are at her door and she has to untangle her fingers from his to get her keys out of her pocket and she lets out a sad sigh while he promises to see her tomorrow on shift. She leans in and brushes her lips over the corner of his mouth and frowns for a second when she pulls back, hand behind her on the doorknob. "Thanks for a great date, Mac."

"Jo, wait!" He catches her wrist as she tries to slip into the house, spinning her back around to face him. His fingers brush the curls from her face, eyes flicking from her eyes to her mouth and back again. Mac leans in slowly, giving her every opportunity to back away, but she leans into meet him as her patience runs out. He chuckles against her lips as they met in a kiss, hands finding her hips as hers bunch in his coat before trailing up to cup his jaw as their lips dance. He pulls back before it could escalate from chaste to salacious and she draws her lip into her mouth as he presses a final kiss to her cheek. "Now the date is over. I'll see you tomorrow, Jo."


End file.
